Mr. Ma came to our office to teach us the traditional craft of Chinese egg carving.  This involved the laborious process of drawing, in pencil, the character “fu” (“prosperity) on a hallowed egg, then using a blade to slowly chisel away the peel of the egg.  While at first frustrating, each of us eventually became so involved in our eggs that it was almost meditative. 

While carving our eggs, we started chatting with Meixin, one of the founders of Gift of Hope.  She was asked the question, what is your skill?  Her response was, “My skill is talking, translating and contradicting doctors”.  It was the latter statement that most intrigued us and we asked her what she meant.  She said that when she was a baby, she suffered a severe fever and her parents were told that she would not live more than a few months.  When she did live, her parents were told that she would never speak or walk.  Today, Meixin’s English is better than most Chinese people I’ve met and she walks with a severe limp, but walks.

She then went on to speak about why she co-founded Gift of Hope.  She said that that about 5% of Beijing’s population is handicapped, but one doesn’t see them.  She said that Chinese are Buddhist and in Buddhism, if you are born with a disability, it is because you have done something wrong in a past life.  Therefore, parents are often ashamed of their disabled children and they are kept inside, away from disapproving eyes. 

Meixin and her fellow co-founders of Gift of Hope are on a mission to dispel this myth.  They bring together people with various disabilities and teach them traditional crafts such as egg carving, silk knot-tying, lantern making, calligraphy, paper cutting, etc.  They are given a sense of self, a sense of community and are made to feel valued by being able to then give back to the community by teaching children, foreigners, anyone interested, their crafts.

It is people like Meixin who we like to introduce to people visiting China.  She has a presence, a sense of confidence and vitality that few people possess and it is a China story that we want to share with people.  Not only is she helping people but she is reviving the traditional crafts which are quickly disappearing.